Thursday, May 26, 2016

It's 1934, the worst year of the Great Depression, and Joan Crawford goes to the Automat in Sadie McKee because she can't afford better. She can't even afford the Automat, scraping just enough nickels for a cup of coffee.

But The Little King, who is rich, and a king, also goes to the Automat in 1934 in Sultan Pepper, just for a lark, for the fun of it.The Horn and Hardart Automat of New York City seems to bear the dual reputation of being a place of stark frugality and also a place of playful ingenuity. It was nothing if not egalitarian.

It's fun to see it pop up in classic films from time to time. Jean Arthur, down on her luck as Joan Crawford was, visits the Automat in 1937 for Easy Living, but finds rich boy Ray Milland slumming there, not unlike The Little King. She determinedly tries to eat in the middle of riotous food fight.

By 1956 and The Catered Affair, a serious young couple played by Debbie Reynolds and Rod Taylor discuss marriage. Again, the Automat seems even more dour in this setting than it did for poor Joan Crawford in the depths of the Depression. Perhaps it was no longer novelty and just another cheap cafeteria?

In 1962 in That Touch of Mink, Doris Day has a conversation with Audrey Meadows through the open food service slot, and because Doris is unemployed, pal Audrey, who works there, slips her food. Here the Automat is fun again, and we don't take the hunger pangs seriously.

For more on the Automat have a look at this brief documentary on YouTube. Someone also put up a series of movie automat scenes, starting here. Apparently one of the first, if not the first, was The Early Bird (1925). The Automat had been around since 1912. It closed in 1991.Come back next Thursday for part six of our year-long monthly series on the classic film fan, and we'll have a look at John Greco's new book, Lessons in the Dark, a collection of essays from his blog Twenty-Four Frames.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Cinevent takes place in Columbus, Ohio, and this year marks
the 48th edition of this annual gathering of fans of silent and early sound
films, and of collectors of motion pictures and related items. The dates are Thursday June 2nd through Sunday
June 5th, at the
Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel at 50 North Third Street in downtown
Columbus, Ohio.

Movies are screened nearly continually, and dealers fill over a hundred tables full of film, video, sound
recordings, posters, stills, lobby cards, books, and autographs, and the annual
Hollywood Poster Auction!—run by Morris Everett of The Last Moving Picture
Company in Cleveland.

The event annually attracts over 600 participants, including
from other countries. Truly a
home-grown festival by and for film buffs, movie screenings are all 16mm,
gleaned from collectors and archives across the U.S.

Have a look at the Cinevent website for info on registering,
where to stay, and more info on how to enjoy this fun festival for the classic
film fan.

Special thanks to Mr. Michael Haynes for information on Cinevent. His father, the late Steven Haynes, was one of the founders.

First, the audio book is some
eighteen hours long. Yeah, big ol’
book. Her task was nothing short of
Herculean, and she sails through the obstacle course of my often clunky prose brilliantly.
(Some sentences are so long I should be jailed for writing them. Really, I’m not a long-winded talker. I’m actually a rather quiet person. But put a blank piece of paper (or word
processing program) in front of me, and I lose my head. It’s like I’m the only person in the
room. Oh, wait, I am.)

What she does with this narrative
is astonishing. Those of you who might
have read the book (or skimmed through some of the blog posts which began this
project), know that I used a lot of quotes.
They are from interviews, or from old newspapers, magazines, reviews
from long ago and these quotes provide voices to the story of Ann Blyth’s
career. Ms. Lewis, being an actress,
provides “voices” to the voices.

The result is an audio book like
none I have ever heard. Most narrators
will adopt a suitable vocal tone and personality and use it throughout the
book, and it is a voice usually, of necessity, general, nondescript, objective,
and omniscient.

Toni acts out the book.She's gossip columnist Hedda Hopper. She's Roddy McDowell. She's the co-stars, the agent, the critic from the Midwest. She's Ann Blyth. If you provided a quote for the book, she's you.

She does many voices, and
accents, and I’ve lost count. There are
some line readings that sent chills up my spine. She has brought warmth and depth, color, and
the promise of possibly the most entertaining audio book you ever heard. Indeed, it seems more like listening to a
radio play than a book reading. Her
narration is touching, funny, often thrilling, and always imaginative.

I don’t know yet when the
publication date will be for the audio book, as there is still some production
work to be done and much of that is out of my hands, but I’ll keep you posted.

You will marvel at the
textures—hard, biting, soft, tender—of her voice.

As mentioned in the previous
post, there are a few ways to obtain a free Ann
Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. audio book:

1) I plan to raffle off FREE copies of the audio book to five winners who subscribe to my email newsletter.

2) I will also raffle off one FREE copy of the audio book to a reader of my blog based on the book – Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star., and also one FREE copy to a reader of Another Old Movie Blog.

3) I will give a FREE copy of the audio book to the first five people who agree to review the book on its Amazon page here. Just email me with your name.I will email you when the audio book is ready for release and at that time I will ask if you prefer a CD or a download.If you prefer a CD, I will need the address where I may send it. The audio book will be sold through Amazon, Audible, and iTunes.

****************************

"Lynch’s book is organized and well-written – and has plenty of amusing observations – but when it comes to describing Blyth’s movies, Lynch’s writing sparkles." - Ruth Kerr, Silver Screenings

"Jacqueline T. Lynch creates a poignant and thoroughly-researched mosaic of memories of a fine, upstanding human being who also happens to be a legendary entertainer." - Deborah Thomas, Java's Journey

"One of the great strengths of Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. is that Lynch not only gives an excellent overview of Blyth's career -- she offers detailed analyses of each of Blyth's roles -- but she puts them in the context of the larger issues of the day."- Amanda Garrett, Old Hollywood Films

"Jacqueline's book will hopefully cause many more people to take a look at this multitalented woman whose career encompassed just about every possible aspect of 20th Century entertainment." - Laura Grieve, Laura's Miscellaneous Musings

"Jacqueline T. Lynch’s Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. is an extremely well researched undertaking that is a must for all Blyth fans." - Annette Bochenek, Hometowns to Hollywood

Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.

by Jacqueline T. Lynch

The first book on the career of actress Ann Blyth. Multitalented and remarkably versatile, Blyth began on radio as a child, appeared on Broadway at the age of twelve in Lillian Hellman's Watch on the Rhine, and enjoyed a long and diverse career in films, theatre, television, and concerts. A sensitive dramatic actress, the youngest at the time to be nominated for her role in Mildred Pierce (1945), she also displayed a gift for comedy, and was especially endeared to fans for her expressive and exquisite lyric soprano, which was showcased in many film and stage musicals. Still a popular guest at film festivals, lovely Ms. Blyth remains a treasure of the Hollywood's golden age.

Thursday, May 5, 2016

What do you get when
you gather thousands of classic film fans together?

Go ahead. Think about a punch line. Because I don’t have one.

This is our fifth
post in our monthly series this year on the current state of the classic film fan. Today we examine the gathering of the clan—at
classic film festivals. Such events are
scattered throughout the year—climate and weather are irrelevant inside a movie
theater—but just in the past three weeks three of the most popular have been
held: The 18th Annual Noir City Festival in Hollywood, the 2nd
Nitrate Film Fest in Rochester, New York, and the 6th annual Turner
Classic Movies Film Festival in Hollywood.

Hollywood, we may
surmise, is not a bad place at all to hold a classic film festival.

Some festivals, like
the Noir City, focus on a particular genre.
Some, like the Nitrate Film Fest at the Dryden Theater, Eastman Center,
billed as The Nitrate Picture Show, the world’s first festival of film
conservation, are geared more to the hardcore fan and film historian, those
with a keen appreciation of “film” as opposed to digital movies.

The TCM Film Fest is
a phenomenon of the modern—or we could even say younger—classic film fan’s
expression of his fandom, with all the buttons and swag. It seems, foremost, an emotional experience.

I have never been to
the TCM festival, but perhaps as an outsider I can offer a few unemotional and
objective observations. I say that it is
a younger festival not because there aren’t any Boomers in attendance—there
most certainly are an army of them, but because I suspect that most of the some
26,000 projected attendees this year (TCM figures) are people without family
constraints that prevent travel, and with disposal income to travel, and who
specifically are geared to going to an “event” and being part of a event that
is such a focus of social media. I would
love to know the demographics.

The TCM fest is
gloriously reported in social media, with in-depth reports by classic film
bloggers (here’s a few by Raquel Stecher of Out of the Past, Kate Gabriele of Silents and Talkies, and look for an always thorough and articulate recap by Laura
of Laura’s Miscellaneous Musings, as
well as her look at the Noir City Festival.
Laura goes to film festivals like some people go to Wal-Mart.). Facebook, Twitter give us in-the-moment posts
on what’s going on at the fest, and I love to read them. I suspect there are a lot of us armchair
fans.

I get a kick out of
Kate Gabrielle’s statement on one blog post of the rigors of attending:

I feel like TCMFF is actually kind of like practice for the
apocalypse. Everyone around me could survive anything, making do without food
or water for days while they plot out a plan to get movie projectors to work in
a world without electricity.

Stars from
Hollywood’s Golden Age, such as the wonderful Dame Angela Lansbury this year,
are a major draw for fans. One wonders,
though, as there are fewer past stars to attend in future years, and with the
increasing introduction of films that are from the post-classic era, how will
the TCM Film Fest hold up in the future, and will its attendee demographics
change as it becomes not so much a Classic Film Festival but a Film Festival?

TCM, always mining
new opportunities and tweaking its brand, is slated to introduce TCM Backlot, an
official fan club. Membership is $87 per year. There will be events across the
country and exclusive content for subscribers. I’m interested to hear from
classic film bloggers who join the club their impressions on the benefits and
value of this membership.

Fan clubs have long
been a part of Old Hollywood, a way for fans back in the day to connect with
their favorite stars, and a way for the studios to promote the stars in their
stable. Today, merchandizing is
obviously going to be part of the mix, but it’s a delicate balance to offer
your members (customers—stores and theme parks may call us “guests” but we know
we’re customers) something of value beyond just buying more junk on the credit
card.

An experience they
are unable to get anywhere else is the genius of the TCM Film Fest, that
emotional gathering of the clan, of like-minded people who share their passion
for classic film in an environment that is fun, supportive, and obviously thrilling. Most interesting is that this community
appears to be wonderfully diverse: mixed in gender, race, ethnicity,
nationality, and in the movie preferences of classic film fans. Sci-fi fans may not enjoy musicals, and not everyone
goes big for noir, but they can still meet in a jubilant carnival and form
lasting friendships.

What would Sam
Goldwyn, L.B. Mayer, and Jack Warner think of that?

Go ahead, think of a
punch line. I don’t have one.

I would like to thank
all classic movie bloggers who attend and shared their experience. It’s fun to see the festivities through their
eyes.

Next month, in the
sixth part of this series, we’re going to visit the work of another classic
film blogger, John Greco and review his latest book, Lessons in the Dark.

Bob the Bear - a picture book by my twin brother & Me

Read Arte Acher's Falling Circus

Recent Comments on Past Posts:

It Happened to Jane is special to my family. My mother was selected to play the wife of Aaron Caldwell, the Chester town selectman in the movie and has a speaking part about the parking meter revenues gathered from outside his general store in the town center. My older brother was one of the cub scouts delivering coal donated by town residents to fuel Old 97. We grew up in Deep River. A few years ago a niece provided every member of music family copies of It Happened to Jane on DVD. The Connecticut River valley was truly an idyllic spot for growing up in the mid-Twentieth Century!

Thank you, the Lux Theatre broadcast was absolutely marvelous, and far superior, as you have indicated, the film. I have always admired Dorothy McGuire, and she has it all over Jean Peters. This is not as clear cut a differential between Joseph Cotton and Dan Dailey, but at this point in their grand careers, I will take Dan. Again thank you.

I jus watched this and I have to agree... the ending let me down. She left Howard Keel!!!! I've had a crush on him since seeing Seven Brides when I was 10.I did love the message that Rose Marie can be herself.But I'm still sad. Seriously, Rose Marie, you chose the wrong man.

My wife and I go back two decades for our love of “Remember the Night” and its heartwarming story...P.S. As I type these words I am reminded of the inscription my wife had engraved inside the wedding ring I now wear… “Remember The Night.”

Beautiful piece, Jacqueline, about yet another movie from the Unjustly Forgotten file. I agree a video release is decades overdue, (What is wrong with Universal Home Video? You'd think the only movies they ever made were monsters and Abbott & Costello. And don't even get me started on the pre-'48 Paramounts they're sitting on.) I count myself lucky to have scored a decent 16mm print on eBay some years back; otherwise it would have been a good 40 years since I saw it.

I happened upon this piece and wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed reading it. Really a great appreciation of a wonderful movie. Raoul Walsh is one of my favorite directors and this is the first of his movies I ever remember seeing--it was on the big screen back in 1952 so I guess that dates me but a movie like this was ideal for my age, both for the adventure and romance.

I guess I'm going to be busy reading all your blogs that touch on events I'm familiar with.

Judgement At Nuremberg caught my attention as I had the privilege of working in it for some 60 days. But more so as the German WWII history always recall my own trials during the war.

I suppose we filmed this around 1959-1960 which is not that long after the ending of the war. Reconstruction in Europe was far from accomplished. For the audience in 1961 this history was still a part of everyone's life.

I was overwhelmed sitting in that set and listening to the greatest actors of that generation orate day after day... an endless live theater.